Date
5-25-2023
Department
School of Behavioral Sciences
Degree
Doctor of Education in Community Care and Counseling (EdD)
Chair
Frances Sanford
Keywords
sexual misconduct, suspension, discipline, guilt, healing
Disciplines
Social and Behavioral Sciences
Recommended Citation
Osei-Korsah, Philip, "Sexual Misconduct Suspension: The Impact of Guilt in Members of The Church of Pentecost, Ghana" (2023). Doctoral Dissertations and Projects. 4480.
https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/doctoral/4480
Abstract
The research utilized 13 respondents to investigate the impact of guilt because of sexual misconduct suspension on the church member using The Church of Pentecost in Axim as a focus. The Church of Pentecost has the practice to discipline by suspending a member who commits sexual misconduct such as premarital sex or extramarital sex. In extra-marital relations, the misconduct is mostly detected when the other partner discovers extra-marital relationships and for that matter, a cheat by his or her partner and reports to the church leadership. Pre-marital sexual misconduct is recognized when a young lady is discovered pregnant without a husband, usually when the young man and young lady are going to marry and the lady is discovered pregnant before the marriage is officially contracted. The condition of the member suspended because of sexual misconduct was investigated. Subjective evidence were obtained by getting closer to interviewing the respondents who were members of The Church of Pentecost in Axim and have been suspended because of sexual misconduct. The hermeneutical phenomenological approach of qualitative study was adopted. Numerous studies conducted on sexual misconduct and church discipline found varying rates of prevalence in the church. The Church of Pentecost in Axim has a 4% prevalence rate of suspension because of sexual misconduct. The most salient characteristic experienced after suspension for sexual misconduct is, in fact, guilt. The scripture also provides hermeneutic support for this conclusion. At the same time, research on guilt in suspended church members is limited. The study revealed that sexual misconduct suspension is a disciplinary action employed by the church to curb sexual sin. The findings will contribute to the church literature on the impact of guilt on the suspended church member and appropriate pastoral care recommendations.
